Book 1 Chapter 86

[86]85.

"I left him behind!"

Emio wore a confident expression.

"If you slow down once, it's hard to accelerate again!"

In contrast, Emio was continuously accelerating.

"With this, the others will also feel Leo's limit…"

"Hello?"

"……!"

Emio's eyes widened, and he looked to the side.

There was Leo, riding a broomstick and waving his hand.

"H-How!"

"How? I caught up quickly."

Leo, with a nonchalant expression, activated his magic.

*Fzzzt-!*

"This is a thank you for what you gave me a little while ago."

Golden sparks flew from Leo's hand.

"Lightning Bolt!"

*Flash! Fzzzt!*

"Tch!"

Emio dodged urgently.

"It really is Professor Alby's magic tool! It looks unimpressive on the outside, but its performance is amazing!"

Emio scoffed and generated magic in both hands.

Emio, specializing in lightning magic, had memorized a higher-level spell than Lightning Bolt.

"Chain Lightning!"

*Ffffththt-!*

Chain lightning struck Leo.

As Leo easily dodged the attack, Emio shouted,

"It's no use!"

'Homing function?'

Leo wore an amused expression.

It was a spell that electrocuted those around the target, and it seemed he had modified the magic circle to have a homing function.

As the Chain Lightning pursued him, Leo strengthened his broomstick and lowered his posture.

*Fzzzt-! Fzzzt!*

'Tch! He's dodging all of that?'

Seeing Leo easily dodge the Chain Lightning that was rapidly targeting him, Emio glared at the broomstick Leo was riding.

'It's unfair! How am I supposed to win against someone riding a magic tool like that…'

"Ice Bolt."

Leo sent magic forward.

Countless ice shards flew like bullets.

"Where are you aiming!"

"Where am I aiming? Ahead, Chain Lightning."

*Fzzzt-!*

The Chain Lightning Leo fired created a giant wire in the air.

"No!"

Emio's eyes widened as a giant net of wires suddenly appeared in front of him.

The Ice Bolts Leo had fired earlier acted as conductors.

"Tch!"

Emio quickly stopped his speed.

If he were electrocuted like this, the match would end with Leo's victory.

*Fwoosh-!*

*Fzzzt! Fzzzt!*

Emio was about to breathe a sigh of relief after narrowly stopping in front of the electric net Leo had cast.

"It's not over yet."

*Wham-!*

"Gasp!"

Leo imbued his fist with aura and struck Emio's magic tool.

The magic tool, whose magic circle system was shaken for a moment, began to rampage.

"I didn't break it, so you can fix it."

Leo smiled and flew into the sky.

"Ugh! Whoa?!"

Emio's broomstick, out of control, swayed erratically.

*Fwoosh-!*

"Gasp!"

Then, it began to charge towards the school building.

"S-Stop!"

*Thump!*

"Oof?!"

Emio, who had crashed into the building wall, slid down it.

Leo, smiling at Emio, completed the race and returned.

"I'm back."

"Leo. It seems you won't need separate aerial combat training."

Alby praised Leo with a smile.

Vice Professor Anna looked surprised at the sight.

'Oh my, Professor Alby is actually praising someone?'

Since Alby was quite stingy with praise, it was a surprising sight for Anna.

"Senior Alby, you truly recognize Leo student's true worth! Of course! How could Senior Alby not know such brilliant talent! You admit that Leo student is the talent our Magic Department needs!"

'This human is overdoing it again. I hope they don't go berserk in front of the students.'

Anna sighed, wondering when she should stop this person.

Emio, with his face a mess from crashing into the wall, returned with difficulty.

"Unacceptable! Leo! You cheated!"

Emio shouted in an angry voice.

"What did I cheat with?"

"Using aura in a Magic Department class!"

"There was no rule saying you couldn't use abilities other than magic, was there?"

Hearing their conversation, the students began to murmur.

"He used aura?"

"It's a magic class, so that's a bit…"

Gaining confidence from their words, Emio shouted,

"In Magic Department classes, the principle is to only use magic!"

"If this were a regular magic class, I wouldn't have used aura. But this is a class preparing for the departmental competition, isn't it? Let me tell you, most students in the Knight Department have been preparing countermeasures against aerial attacks since the beginning of the semester. Flying in the air isn't a huge advantage."

"Ugh?"

Emio flinched at Leo's words and retorted.

"Are you saying that students from the Knight Department are superior in a Magic Department class?"

Leo sighed deeply.

"I'm saying you should prepare countermeasures against attacks from the Knight Department. In reality, you lost your mobility as soon as your Wing magic tool was disabled. Such situations can happen frequently in the departmental competition."

The critical flaw of Wing magic.

It was that mobility was lost if the magic tool was broken.

"E-Even so, this match was unfair! You competed using Professor Alby's Wing magic tool!"

"This?"

Leo chuckled and looked down at the broomstick in his hand.

"This is just an ordinary cleaning magic tool."

"What?"

Leo threw the broomstick towards the bewildered Emio.

Emio, who caught it by surprise, stiffened.

As Leo said, it was just an ordinary cleaning magic tool.

"I can't use Wing magic in the first place. I haven't learned it."

"What?"

All the students were surprised by his words.

"You don't know Wing magic? It's the most basic of basics! No! How did you chase me without Wing magic in the first place?"

"I used Fly magic."

"Fly magic?"

It was a levitation magic that boasted history and tradition, existing from before the Age of Calamity to the present.

However, by the current era, with the invention of Wing magic, it was rarely used.

"T-That's impossible."

Emio looked incredulous.

"Wing magic is certainly easy and allows one to fly quickly. If you only look at that, it seems like a superior version of Fly magic."

Leo said with a bored expression.

"But that's all it is, isn't it? It's heavily influenced by magic tools, and the limitations of its circle are clear."

"As Leo Flob says. Wing magic is a magic created based on Fly magic. It allows anyone to fly quickly through magic tools, but that's all. It focused on improving convenience, so delicate maneuvers like Fly magic are impossible."

The students who had claimed their mobility was not an issue avoided Alby's gaze.

"It is true that with the development of Wing magic, mages have overcome mobility, which was considered their biggest weakness. However, that is only in general cases. You are not ordinary mages, but students of the Hero Academy."

Everyone flinched at Alby's words.

"And the students of other departments you will compete against are also students of the Hero Academy. Do not think that ordinary methods will work against your opponents. The biggest problem is not the Knight Department, but the Summoning Department. Mages who rely on Wing magic are easy prey for Beastmasters who handle aerial summoned beasts and Spirit Masters who handle wind spirits. Do you understand what I mean by mobility being a problem now?"

"Yes."

Seeing the dispirited Magic Department students, Ren gestured to Anna.

"Everyone, starting today, we will practice Fly magic. Professor Ren, Torua student, and I, along with the assistants, will help you practice. Before we begin, we need to divide into groups based on skill, so we will have a test. Please line up."

At Anna's words, the students began to line up.

"Krugh!"

Emio glared at Leo one last time and went to line up.

Ren approached Alby and Leo.

"Leo student, you can receive guidance on magic combat from Senior Alby."

"I don't take tests?"

"Based on what you showed in the match, you've passed the mobility aspect, Leo student."

Ren, who chuckled and was about to go guide the students, noticed Torua standing beside Leo and narrowed his brow.

"Torua student, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to attend Professor Alby's class."

"You already know all of it! Stop spouting nonsense and go guide the juniors!"

Ren grabbed Torua by the scruff of his neck and dragged him away.

Seeing the crowded practice field, Alby said,

"We need to move locations."

Alby waved his hand lightly, and an entrance to another space opened in the air.

'Fairy magic.'

Leo stepped through the spatial entrance.

He immediately arrived at another magic practice field.

"What should I do now?"

"Self-study as you see fit."

"You're not going to teach me anything?"

Alby sat down on a chair in a corner of the practice field and closed his eyes.

"I don't have a clue what to teach a first-year student who can modify Fly magic to that extent."

Alby, recognizing how incredible Leo's magic was just now, said,

"You seem to have nothing more to teach at the first-year level. However, it would be overstepping my bounds to proceed with a higher-year curriculum on my own. Therefore, as a teacher, all I can do is assign you self-study."

"Then I have a request for you, Professor."

"What is it?"

"May I enter the Lumern Forbidden Archives?"

Alby opened one eye and looked at Leo.

"Accessing the Forbidden Archives is beyond a teacher's authority."

"I am requesting as a member of the Zerun family, not as a student."

"……"

The Zerun family.

It was a family called one of Lumern's Three Great Heroic Families, and their influence in Lumern was absolute.

"Why do you want to enter the Forbidden Archives?"

"I have a document I want to find."

"What is it?"

"It's about the history of Hero Records that are not known to the public."

"……"

Alby looked at Leo, who was speaking honestly, without a word, and nodded.

"If that is what you desire, I will write you a letter of recommendation."

"Oh."

Leo exclaimed in admiration, thinking things were going better than expected.

"Of course, even with my letter of recommendation, you cannot necessarily enter the Forbidden Archives. What is needed to enter the Forbidden Archives is the permission of the head of the Zerun family, which means my brother, Alteck Zerun."

Alby took out a piece of paper from his pocket and scribbled on it.

"All I can do is mediate. After that, it's up to you."

"Ah."

Leo looked disappointed.

In fact, even just a letter of recommendation to meet Alteck was immense.

Alteck was someone even most royalty could not easily meet.

As he received the letter of recommendation, Leo thought of Alteck.

'He was called the Infinity Speller, wasn't he?'

He was a powerful hero who wielded infinite spells.

"Wait a moment. But isn't the Zerun family head dispatched to the southern front of Tartarus?"

He was currently absent as he was suppressing Tartarus at the forefront.

"You can meet a proxy."

"A proxy?"

"Yes. You can meet them easily. Because they are your senior."

"Who is it?"

Alby let out a rare deep sigh.

"Third-year student of Lumern, Elena Zerun."

With a troubled expression, he clicked his tongue.

"She is my niece."